Klay Thompson is looking forward to the Warriors’ matchup against the Lakers for competitive and sentimental reasons. He also addressed the team’s rebounding issues, and how Draymond is a key part of addressing them.
Klay Thompson wasn’t able to play in an NBA game for 941 days. A torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals forced Thompson to miss the entire 2019-20 season. And when he was nearing a return, Thompson suffered a heart-wrenching Achilles tear while working out in Los Angeles in November 2020.
The latter injury, which he has described in the past as more frustrating of the two, sent him right back to the sidelines to rehab another costly injury.
Thompson completed his triumphant comeback to the floor Jan. 9 as the sellout crowd at Chase Center celebrated “Klay Day.” The five-time All-Star poured in 17 points in just under 20 minutes in the Warriors’ win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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Now that he’s back on the floor for the Warriors and significantly contributing -- he was on the court for a season-high 31 minutes in Golden State’s loss to the Denver Nuggets before the All-Star break -- Thompson has allowed himself to reflect on what might have caused his Achilles tear during a workout that fateful November day.
“I wasn’t at playing weight,” Thompson told The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “I was really strong. I was doing a lot of lifting, strengthening my knee. But I just missed the game so much at that time and I was cleared to play 5-on-5. But I’m not sure if it was the right move.”
Thompson is listed on the Warriors’ 2021-22 roster as 220 pounds. The Warriors star estimated to Slater that he weighed around 226 or 227 pounds while working his way back from the ACL tear.
“That’s too big to be a shooting guard in my frame,” Thompson said to Slater.
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The missed 2019-20 season had Thompson champing at the bit to get back on the floor. That impatience, plus a bit of added weight to his 6-foot-6 frame might have added up to the Achilles tear.
“It might’ve been costly,” Thompson told Slater. “I don’t know. I try not to think about it too much. But it just, uh, it’s something I learned from. I’m not in my early 20s anymore, where I can just play all offseason. That’s what I was trying to do. Going forward, I’m not going to do that. I’m going to save it for the season.”
After six days off for the All-Star break, Thompson and the Warriors are back in action Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center.
As Thompson’s role and production with the Warriors grows over the final stretch of the 2021-22 season, those memories hopefully become less painful.